"It's right through the surf zone, right where we surf, so it's like going down to the local football field and putting a fence on halfway, and saying, 'sorry you can only use half the field'. That's how the surfers feel about this," Mr Hernage said.

"The message definitely hasn't got through ... they are stonewalling the surfers and the surfing community by not valuing our thoughts and contribution about the risks, the very real risks, to surfers and ocean users.

"They are looking at preventing attacks ... yet they are still happy to put in a barrier which is going to be a direct threat to people and people's safety. I just can't understand it."

Mr Hernage said surfers were concerns about people getting tangled in the barrier and drowning.